High ADMA Is Associated with Worse Health Profile in Heart Failure Patients Hospitalized for Episodes of Acute Decompensation.

: episodes of acute decompensation in chronic heart failure (ADHF), a common health problem for the growing elderly population, pose a significant socio-economic burden on the public health systems. Limited knowledge is available on both the endothelial function in and the cardio-metabolic health profile of old adults hospitalized due to ADHF. This study aimed to investigate the connection between asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA)-a potent inhibitor of nitric oxide-and key health biomarkers in this category of high-risk patients.

The Congestion "Pandemic" in Acute Heart Failure Patients.

Congestion not only represents a cardinal sign of heart failure (HF) but is also now recognized as the primary cause of hospital admissions, rehospitalization, and mortality among patients with acute heart failure (AHF). Congestion can manifest through various HF phenotypes in acute settings: volume overload, volume redistribution, or both. Recognizing the congestion phenotype is paramount, as it implies different therapeutic strategies for decongestion.

Successive Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic Had an Increasing Impact on Chronic Cardiovascular Patients in a Western Region of Romania.

Three years since the COVID-19 pandemic started, there is still little information about patients with chronic medical conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), who become infected with SARS-CoV-2. A retrospective analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with cardiovascular comorbidities hospitalized with positive RT-PCR results for SARS-CoV-2 during the highest peaks of the first three pandemic waves: April 2020, October 2020, and November 2021. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality; the secondary outcomes were length of hospitalization and required mechanical ventilation to assess the disease severity.

Serum YKL-40 Levels in Patients with Asthma or COPD: A Pilot Study.

Bronchial asthma (BA) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are not only common obstructive respiratory conditions but also major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is, however, a surprising lack of blood-based biomarkers for separating between these pulmonary disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the practical relevance of using serum YKL-40, single or combined, for this purpose.

The chronic coronary syndrome-Heart failure roundabout: A multimodality imaging workflow approach.

Heart failure (HF) is a complex syndrome of considerable burden with high mortality and hospitalization rates. Approximately two-thirds of patients with HF have ischemic etiology, which makes crucial the identification of relevant coronary artery disease (CAD). Moreover, patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) can first show signs of dyspnea and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.

Mannose-binding lectin 2 gene polymorphisms and predisposition to allergic bronchial asthma in a western Romanian children population: an observational study.

Objectives: To analyse: (1) the associations between different mannose-binding lectin 2 () genotypes and susceptibility to bronchial asthma (BA) in Romanian children; and (2) the correlations between several patient sociodemographic variables and polymorphisms.

Methods: This prospective observational case-control study included paediatric patients with symptomatic BA and healthy controls. Participants were genotyped for two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): exon 1 codon 54 A/B variant rs1800450, and -550 promoter H/L variant rs11003125 (GenBank accession).

Nano Selenium-Enriched Probiotics as Functional Food Products against Cadmium Liver Toxicity.

Since cadmium is a toxic metal that can cause serious health problems for humans, it is necessary to find bioremediation solutions to reduce its harmful effects. The main goal of our work was to develop a functional food based on elemental selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) obtained by green synthesis using and to validate their ability to annihilate the hepatic toxic effects induced by cadmium. The characterization of SeNPs was assessed by UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, XRD, DLS and TEM.

The Importance of a New Cardiovascular Risk Factor - Asymmetric Dimethylarginine.

In the past years, scientific research has highlighted the presence of a new cardiovascular risk factor, the implications of which have not been sufficiently studied so far. It is different from conventional risk factors because it acts independently at the endothelial level, having important proatherogenic properties. Through its action, this risk factor leads to increased oxidative stress and promotes the onset of atherosclerosis faster than other well-known risk factors so far.

Clinical Relevance of Plasma Concentrations of MBL in Accordance with IgE Levels in Children Diagnosed with Bronchial Asthma.

Bronchial asthma is a heterogeneous, multifactorial pulmonary disease characterized by variable airway obstruction caused by chronic inflammation. Our study investigates the clinical relevance of MBL plasma levels in accordance with IgE values in children who attended a pediatric consult for respiratory symptoms with bronchial asthma. The study population consists of patients <18-years-old and included 43 patients with bronchial asthma and 64 age-matched healthy subjects as a control group.

Genetic Polymorphism of MBL 2 in Patients with Allergic Bronchial Asthma.

Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) belongs to a family of glycoproteins called lectins or collectins, which possess many of the functional features of immunoglobulins. Mannose-binding lectin is a very important component of the innate immune system, which recognizes distinct pathogens and activates the classical path of the complement-fixation method. In humans, the serum levels of collectins vary widely, and their variability is correlated with susceptibility and resistance to infection and other diseases.

Acute kidney injury: a clinical issue in hospitalized patients with heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction.

INTRODUCTION Acute kidney injury (AKI) during hospitalization is associated with increased mortality in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). In 2016, the European Society of Cardiology introduced the category of heart failure (HF) with mid‑range ventricular ejection fraction (HFmrEF) as a distinct category from HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate in‑hospital mortality risk associated with AKI in patients with AHF, with a focus on the HFmrEF group.

The association between HIV clinical disease severity and psychiatric disorders as seen in Western Romania.

HIV disease continues to be a serious health issue all over the world. By the end of 2016, 36.7 million people were living with HIV, 1.

Uterine Artery Doppler Flow Indices in Pregnant Women During the 11 Weeks + 0 Days and 13 Weeks + 6 Days Gestational Ages: a Study of 168 Patients.

Objectives: Uterine artery Doppler flow studies during the 11th and 14th week of pregnancy are important in the prediction of preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction in pregnant women as well as in the prevention thereof.

Methods: Our study on Doppler flow indices of the uterine arteries involved 168 patients examined in our clinic, with pregnancies ranging from 11 weeks + 0 days to 13 weeks + 6 days.

Results: There were 72 patients from 11 weeks + 0 days to 11 weeks + 6 days (42.

The Harmfulness of Alcohol and Tobacco Smoking in Cardiovascular Pathology and the Perspective of Spiritual Therapy.

A holistic approach to the human person, from a somatic, psychological and spiritual point of view, with reference to the harmfulness of alcoholism and smoking in cardiovascular pathology, highlights several therapeutic variants over time. Among them are: the current somatic therapy, which could not offer optimal solution in eradicating this vice, and psychiatry which, using will power, could not solve man’s contradiction with himself, caused by a tempting and treacherous irrationality of senses, instinctive-affective desires, turned into vices, as a “Quasi altera natura”, devoid of any bright and creative horizon. As such we propose an alternative that entails changing one’s lifestyle to eliminate the harmful effect of alcoholism and smoking on cardiovascular pathology, through the perspective of spiritual therapy, accessible to contemporary society, at no cost and with no adverse events.

Galectin-3: A Link between Myocardial and Arterial Stiffening in Patients with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure?

Background: Heart failure is accompanied by abnormalities in ventricular-vascular interaction due to increased myocardial and arterial stiffness. Galectin-3 is a recently discovered biomarker that plays an important role in myocardial and vascular fibrosis and heart failure progression.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether galectin-3 is correlated with arterial stiffening markers and impaired ventricular-arterial coupling in decompensated heart failure patients.

Galectin-3 in heart failure pathology--"another brick in the wall"?

Heart failure is a disease affecting millions of patients each year, and is responsible for burdening the world with high mortality rates. More concerns come from its numerous hospital readmissions (with an estimated number of 2.6 million per year which makes it one of the leading diseases responsible for national healthcare expenditures).

Correlations between the surface ECG and the intracavitary electrocardiogram in typical atrial flutter.

Unlabelled: Typical atrial flutter (cavo-tricuspid isthmus-dependent) has as an electrophysiological substrate a macro-reentry circuit localized in the right atrium. Depending on the right atrial depolarization sequence, the rotation of the macro-reentry circuit can be counterclockwise (with an inferior to superior activation of the right atrium free wall and superior to inferior activation of the interatrial septum), characterized by negative F waves in inferior leads (DII, DIII, aVF) and V6, and positive in V1 on the surface electrogram (ECG), or clockwise (with a superior to inferior activation of the right atrium free wall and inferior to superior activation of the interatrial septum) characterized by positive F waves in inferior leads (DII, DIII, aVF) and V6, and negative in V1. Nevertheless, it is considered that for the diagnosis of the typical or atypical nature of this arrhythmia, the surface ECG has limited value.

RANKL/RANK/OPG molecular complex--control factors in bone remodeling in psoriatic arthritis.

Aim: To investigate the blood levels of bone remodeling factors (RANKL, OPG and Bone-ALP) in psoriatic arthritis patients.

Material And Methods: Included in this study were 27 patients with psoriatic arthritis (CASPAR classification criteria) and 20 healthy subjects. The RANKL , OPG and Bone-ALP levels have been quantified by ELISA method.

The role of radiofrequency ablation as a first line therapy in the treatment of atrial flutter.

Unlabelled: Cavo-tricuspid isthmus radiofrequency (RF) ablation is an efficient option in the treatment of atrial flutter. In the case of a well-tolerated, first episode of atrial flutter, it has a class II indication, level of evidence B, the current first-line therapeutic option being electrical cardioversion, pharmacological cardioversion or atrial overdrive pacing followed by long-term antiarrhythmic therapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate, in a prospective manner, the recurrence rate of these two different therapeutic options after the treatment of a first episode of atrial flutter.

[The myocardial performance index (Tei-Index): correlation with seric NTproBNP levels in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy].

Unlabelled: A combined myocardial performance index (isovolumic contraction time plus isovolumic relaxation time divided by ejection time, 'Tei-Index') has been applied in the echocardiographic evaluation of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) is released from the left ventricular (LV) in response tomyocite stretch and is a powerful prognostic marker for heart failure.

Aim: To assess the correlation between Tei index and NTproBNP level in patients with DCM.

[Bone turnover markers evaluation in psoriatic arthritis].

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to investigate the blood level of bone turnover markers: osteoprotegerin (OPG), bone alkaline phosphatase (Bone-ALP), and receptor activator of NF-kappa B ligand (RANKL) of patients with psoriatic arthritis.

Methods: Twenty-four patients with psoriatic arthritis (CASPAR classification criteria) and twenty healthy controls were included. The OPG, Bone-ALP and RANKL levels were quantified by using ELISA method.

[The correlation between NT-proBNP plasma levels and heart failure syndrome].

Unlabelled: proBNP represents the precursor of the brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and is released by the cardio-myocytes as a result of the myocardial stretch. It is fractioned into two components, BNP and NT-proBNP. We use more often the determination of NT-proBNP levels in laboratory tests because of its prolonged biological half-time (60-120 minutes, much longer than the BNP half-life).

[Multidisciplinary approach in pyomyositis early diagnosis].

Pyomyositis is a disease characterized by primary bacterial infection of the skeletal muscles of lower limbs and thorax. It is a very rare disease (100 cases in USA in the last 20 years) but with an increasing occurrence especially among patients with AIDS in an advanced stage or in association with other pathologic conditions like diabetes mellitus, cancer, connective tissue diseases or hematological disorders, long usage of corticosteroid drugs. We are hereby showing the case of a 46-year-old female who presented difficult problems of differential diagnosis until final diagnosis was established.